• Landon Hudson Durham, a 16-year-old high school student, has been charged with capital murder in the stabbing deaths of his mother and his own two 13-year-old twin brothers before going to school as if nothing happened.
• The bodies were found on Tuesday by a family member, but Durham wasn’t found until Wednesday morning after a member of law enforcement saw him walking on a state road. He was taken into custody without incident.

5. Free stuff for everyone doesn’t appeal to everyone

• U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has made headlines multiple times for her plan to cancel student debt up to $50,000 for those making less than $100,000 per year if she’s elected president, but she was recently confronted by a voter for her plan that would cause a lot of students to get “screwed.”
• The voter described how his daughter is currently in college, and that she doesn’t have student loans because he saved up to pay for her college and he asked if he’d get a refund, but Warren replied, “Of course not.” The father then said, “So you’re going to pay for people who didn’t save any money and those of us who did the right thing get screwed?”

4. Trump’s pro-life coalition

• Friday, President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is planning to reveal a pro-life coalition. The “Pro-Life Voices for Trump” will be led by Marjorie Dannenfelser, who stated, “From appointing pro-life judges to defunding Planned Parenthood, President Trump’s track record demonstrates he’s the most pro-life President in history.”
• Trump is aiming to make the pro-life movement a huge issue in his campaign as another way to rally voters and encourage people to vote in the 2020 election, focusing on his changes to the courts that could clear the way to overturn Roe v. Wade.

3. Teen in Bramblett case has been indicted

• Johnston Edward Taylor, 16, has been indicted for manslaughter by a Lee County judge for the wreck that killed the Voice of the Auburn Tigers Rod Bramblett and his wife, Paula.
• Taylor’s bond in the case was previously revoked after two additional speeding tickets and one for reckless driving. His arraignment is scheduled for January 31; his trial is set to start on May 4.

2. No one is watching impeachment — everyone is already decided

• As the boring and unwatched impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate continues, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) has brought even more absurd comments to the spotlight by claiming that President Donald Trump’s conduct “puts even President Nixon to shame.”
• Even as the theatrical histrionics continue on the floor of the Senate, it is becoming increasingly clear that there will be no witness or documents added to the trial and that it will probably be over some time next week.

1. Trump vague about Alabama’s U.S. Senate race

• President Donald Trump tweeted out polling stats from the Alabama Farmers Federation, which showed former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions leading at 35%, former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville at 31%, U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) at 12%, former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore at 8% and State Representative Arnold Mooney (R-Indian Springs) at 1%.
• While the polling data is about two months old, Trump added in the tweet, “I LOVE ALABAMA!” Sessions’ campaign manager Jon Jones said that this shows “Republican voters in Alabama solidly back Jeff Sessions in the U.S. Senate race.”

• While at a U.S. Senate debate held in North Alabama, the U.S. Senate candidates answered questions, one of which was if marijuana should be legalized or laws should be changed federally. They didn’t seem very keen on the idea.
• Former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville gave the impression that he could be open to medical marijuana as long as they “prove” it’s worth it, but stated, “If we ever put marijuana on our streets legally, it’s over.” U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) said that because “we’ve taken God out of the center of our lives” there have been more issues with drug and alcohol abuse.

5. Byrne thinks Trump will speak out in Alabama’s GOP Senate primary

• President Donald Trump hasn’t yet said much publicly about the U.S. Senate race in Alabama, but in a radio interview, U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) said Trump is “paying very close attention.” Byrne added that Trump has some rough feelings about former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ candidacy.
• While Sessions has said that people don’t bring up his recusal to him on the campaign trail, Byrne said voters “bring it up with me all the time.” Byrne also mentioned that people are upset with Sessions for getting into the race, but Byrne also said he expects Trump will eventually speak out.

4. Bond revocation bill is announced

• A new proposed constitutional amendment will allow judges to deny bond to violent criminal offenders in Alabama after the recent murder of Aniah Blanchard by career criminal Ibraheem Yazeed. If passed, prosecutors can ask for a hearing that would present evidence that the defendant is a threat to the community and a judge will then decide.
• Blanchard’s killer now faces two capital murder charges in Blanchard’s death, but the catalyst for this amendment is the fact that he was out on bond after being charged with kidnapping and attempted murder charges. If he had been in jail, Blanchard would be alive but current law only allows for no bond in capital murder cases.

3. Marshall urging the Senate to reject impeachment

• In Washington, D.C., Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filed a letter with the U.S. Senate urging they reject the articles of impeachment on obstruction of Congress and abuse of power against President Donald Trump.
• Marshall was joined in signing the letter by 20 other attorney generals from the United States. While at a press conference to discuss the letter, Marshall said that based on everything he’s previously seen in a courtroom that “to now hear the House say that they are not prepared” only goes to show that “they have no case.”

2. Schumer’s Alabama senator is doing what Schumer wants

• On the first day of the U.S. Senate impeachment trial against President Donald Trump, U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) did the most unsurprising thing and voted six-for-six in line with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
• Despite all of Jones’ comments leading up to the trial where he insisted that he’s not going to cast partisan votes, he voted strictly along party lines. The votes were to keep Democratic amendments to the trial from being tabled.

1. Biden won’t testify and there will be no trade

• While the impeachment prattles along with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) declaring the 2020 election may be stolen, former Vice President Joe Biden has announced that he will not be testifying while Chuck Schumer has declared that any trade involving Hunter Biden is off the table.
• The “experts” who get paid to cover this trial seem to think there are some magic words that Schiff can’t utter that will lead to Republicans calling the witnesses they want with nothing in exchange but this is not going to happen.

• Apparently, the idea that U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is a giant sexist monster didn’t successfully derail his candidacy. In fact, a new poll has him leading the Democratic field with former Vice President Joe Biden with 24% closely behind U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) lagging with 14%.
• Biden finds himself in a precarious situation. He has dropped 10 points in this poll since October while Sanders has surged up 11.

5. Daycares could be taking on a new responsibility

• State Representative Randy Wood (R-Anniston) has prepared a bill to file with the legislature called the Cash Edwin Jordan Act. The bill would require that daycares contact the parents or guardians if a child doesn’t arrive by 9:30 am.
• The act is named for an 11-month-old that was accidentally left in the car back in September and passed away. Last year, there were 53 kids who died due to being left in a hot car last year across the United States, most of them being three-years-old or younger.

4. Sentencing reform is going nowhere in Alabama

• In Montgomery, former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions spent time discussing President Donald Trump’s criminal justice reform bill. Sessions expressed his concern over the reduced sentences, saying he thinks some of them “went too far.”
• Sessions went on to say the reductions made him “uneasy,” but he did go on to explain that he supported several parts of the bill, including educating and helping them successfully prepare for being released.

3. Indicted judge still getting paid — a state representative wants to change that

• Limestone County Judge Doug Patterson has been indicted on felony charges, but he’s still on the state payroll and collecting his paycheck. Now, State Representative Andy Whitt (R-Harvest) is calling for Patterson’s resignation.
• Whitt has said that Patterson shouldn’t continue to get paid if he isn’t a working judge, also mentioning how the other three judges in the county are overworked as they pick up Patterson’s work since he was suspended last year, but every month Patterson is getting paid $10,808.84.

2. Super-PAC is throwing punches at Doug Jones

• U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) has shown no interest in opposing the impeachment of President Donald Trump, and now the super-PAC America First Policies has put out an ad against Jones, deeming impeachment as a “radical left” project.
• In the ad, Jones is shown to be in agreement with people like U.S. Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN). The ad features a clip of Jones saying, “This is not a witch hunt, this is not a hoax.” Publicly, though, Jones has told CNN that he will be reelected no matter how he votes, but in the public, he hasn’t stated how he plans to vote on impeachment.

1. White House lawyers are playing offense, Democrats want witnesses

• With the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump opening in the U.S. Senate, lawyers for Trump came out and said that the House Democrats have “no case.” White House counsel Pat Cipollone said some of the Democratic senators “should be in Iowa,” referencing U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MD).
• Cipollone added, “Instead, we’re here and they’re not ready to go.” When U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) took the floor, he called for a “fair trial” that he thinks most people don’t expect, as he believes people think Trump will be acquitted because of partisan politics, as if he is not partisan.

• One of the more compelling storylines in the Democratic primary for president involves former Vice President Joe Biden’s corruption issues and how his opponents are completely ignoring them, but that came to an end this weekend when the Sanders campaign sent out a piece about Biden’s “big corruption problem” before completely pulling it back.
• After his campaign sent this out, and boosted it on Twitter, Sanders, even though the issues involving Biden are pretty clear, was quoted as saying, “It is absolutely not my view that Joe is corrupt in any way. And I’m sorry that that op-ed appeared.”

5. GIRL Act already receiving pushback

• State Representative Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) has already announced his “Gender is Real Legislative” (GIRL) Act, which would require student-athletes to compete with the gender listed on their birth certificate, and the bill is already under scrutiny.
• Transgender athlete Chris Mosier said that these “attacks” from members of legislature “are targeting young people” and “are driven by political desires” and not the “reality” of the situation. Family lawyer Heather Fann said this bill seems “designed to stoke transphobia and present solutions where real problems do not in truth exist.”

4. Virginia residents are less than happy about potential gun restrictions

• People of Virginia flocked to the state capitol building to protest the state Democrats’ recent push to pass gun control laws, and many of the protesters carried guns or wore stickers saying “guns save lives.”
• Around 22,000 people attended the rally — only one was arrested for refusing to remove a mask. They recited the Second Amendment, others chanted “we will not comply!” Overall, citizens put on a large display for how displeased they are with the state’s overreach to pass gun control laws.

3. U.S. Senate candidates attack different targets

• U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) took on U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) and Democrats in general, saying, “They don’t believe in God. …They want to take God out of our life,” and added that Democrats don’t want Christians to practice their religion. He also suggested that Democrats want to “put government at the center of everything” instead of God.
• Former Auburn football head coach Tommy Tuberville trained his sights for former Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the “impeachment stuff” (which he did not actually do). He stated, “He’s the guy that stepped to the plate, or didn’t step to the plate, recused himself and turned all this impeachment stuff over to the bureaucrat lawyers in Washington, D.C.”

2. Doug Jones says he is getting reelected regardless of what he does on impeachment

• During another appearance on CNN, U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) said this long and drawn out impeachment process is irrelevant, reasoning, “I’m going to get reelected regardless. He explained, “I will be able to come back to the people of Alabama and do two things. Number one, I will be able to explain my vote and justify it, according to my oath and the Constitution. The second thing, I can point to a record of success in only two years in the United States Senate, we will be going on three in November, of success for the people of Alabama.”
• The people of the state of Alabama have made their support of President Donald Trump pretty clear and all of this waffling, while his colleagues march towards a failed impeachment, is not going to help him because no one believes minds aren’t already made up in the Senate or in the general public.

1. The impeachment case is “flimsy”

• In a trial memo filed just before the U.S. Senate trial on impeachment is set to resume, President Donald Trump’s legal team said the impeachment case is a “dangerous perversion of the Constitution” and is overall “flimsy.”
• The memo goes into detail about how House Democrats have manipulated impeachment “for use as a political tool to overturn the result of the 2016 election,” but the House impeachment managers have also filed a brief that goes over the two articles of impeachment brought against Trump.

Jackson and Burke are joined by State Senator Sam Givhan (R-Huntsville) discusses the upcoming legislative session and whether gambling and medical marijuana will be big issues for legislators.

Jackson closes the show with a “parting shot” at people who believe the media latest “evidence” and their hysterics after all of the instances where the media screamed, “this is where they get him!” about Donald Trump.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=474461936826816

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN.

• State Senator Clyde Chambliss (R-Prattville) said that the 2020 legislative session will likely be focused on the issues surrounding Alabama’s prisons and the pressure from the Department of Justice to do something.
• Chambliss went on to say, “[I]f we don’t solve it in the first part of this year in the sessions, then it will be out of our hands beyond that and the cost will double to triple for what we could solve it for if the federal government makes the decisions.”

5. Alabama House minority leader open to the deal with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians

• The Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PCI) have previously announced their compact plan that would introduce the public campaign “Winning for Alabama,” which could potentially pay billions to the state.
• House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) said during an interview with WHNT that the state “needs more revenue, and our constituencies are not in favor of any more taxes,” and added that this plan is “appealing” to him, but he also expects that the “other operators in the state” to bring bills forward, too.

4. Shelby and Jones vote for new trade deal with Mexico and Canada

• The trade agreement United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement has been approved by the U.S. Senate. Two Senators who helped the agreement pass were from Alabama.
• U.S. Senators Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Doug Jones (D-AL) voted in favor of the trade deaL. Shelby said, “Passage of this important trade pact is a significant win for our state and nation’s farmers, manufacturers, workers, and businesses.”

3. The “crime” Democrats are latching on to is not what it seems

• The issue of whether President Donald Trump did anything illegal when the foreign aid was withheld from Ukraine has been widely debated, but now the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has said Trump broke the law. This is not a high crime and misdemeanor, but a dishonest media will imply otherwise.
• There is more to this story than a simple “he broke the law.” The Obama administration (who also was found to have broken the law a few times by the GAO and no one cared) technically broke the law and violated the Constitution every single time the Supreme Court ruled against them.

2. Doug Jones fundraising off of impeachment while claiming he’s impartial

• Thursday morning, U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) was appearing on CNN in a somber tone declaring himself to be an impartial arbiter of the truth in the Senate, but it seems unlikely that anyone in the Senate is actually undecided on this very public matter that has been discussed for months.
• Later, the Jones campaign was fundraising using the impeachment proceedings to raise money and created a page that asks donors to give him money during the process which states, “While Doug is doing his duty, we’ve got to have his back. His opponents are taking every opportunity to divide and attack, but Doug is focused on impartial justice and real leadership.”

1. The impeachment trial has started

• U.S. Senators have sworn an oath of “impartial justice” as the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump started. Chief Justice John Roberts will be presiding over the trial.
• House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) spoke about the trial, saying that it’s a “taxpayer-funded campaign stunt,” adding that if the impeachment issues were real “yesterday was no cause for celebration.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said the trial will continue on Tuesday afternoon.

• U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) has a campaign event scheduled next week in Birmingham. It has been announced that a senior advisor to former President Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett, will be headlining the event.
• Jones’ campaign slogan is “One Alabama.” Jarrett is going to lead a “Women for One Alabama” discussion at the event.

5. Alabama not allowed to refuse refugees

• U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte has blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order that would give state and local officials the ability to refuse refugees, but faith-based organizations like Church World Service Inc., HIAS Inc. and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services had requested the preliminary injunction.
• The executive order was issued in September. The order said that “State and local government are best positioned to know the resources and capacities they may or may not have available to devote to sustainable resettlement.”

4. Iran is still making threats

• Iran President Hassan Rouhani said that European soldiers still in the Middle East “could be in danger,” making this the first direct threat made to Europe throughout the high tensions with Iran.
• Rouhani’s statements were made during a cabinet meeting that was broadcast. The president also said that Iranians “were lied to” in the days immediately following the Ukrainian passenger jet that was shot down by the Islamic Republic which killed 176 people.

3. Alabama groups want the president’s confirmation stopped

• President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Andrew Brasher for the Middle District of Alabama federal court, but now the Alabama NAACP and about 30 other organizations are asking the Senate halt confirmation due to the pending impeachment trial.
• The Senate Judiciary Committee is meant to vote on Brasher’s confirmation Thursday, but the organizations are arguing that Brasher has “engaged in aggressive efforts to oppose political participation by voters of color” and that Trump’s judicial nominations shouldn’t be confirmed since he was impeached in the House and has the potential to be removed from office.

2. Alabama Commerce Secretary visits the White House

• While President Donald Trump was signing Phase 1 of the trade deal with China, Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield was in attendance of the signing at the White House.
• The Phase 1 part of the trade deal includes that China must purchase an additional $200 billion in United States goods within the next two years. Canfield stated that this “begins a process to establish a framework from which to create a pathway to more normalized trade on a fair basis between these two nations.”

1. Articles of impeachment have been sent

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has signed the two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump over to the Senate so the trial can take place. Pelosi said that this is “so sad, so tragic for our country.”
• Pelosi added that Trump “will be held accountable” and “no one is above the law.” She also called this a “somber” moment while laughing, posing for pictures and demanding that the United States Senate finish their investigation for them on a case they claim is overwhelming.

• The economist who is viewed as being the one to build the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Stephen Moore, has said that former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is the one President Donald Trump should thank for winning the 2016 election
• Moore, a supporter of Sessions’ 2020 U.S. Senate campaign, said that Trump “probably would not have won – the nomination of the party if it had not been for Sessions.” He also shared how successful of a senator he thinks Sessions was in the past.

5. Tuberville is saying what he thinks of the Democrats

• During a radio appearance, former Auburn Football coach Tommy Tuberville mentioned how Democrats have remained upset over past elections, saying, “They don’t accept it, so what we’ve got now is a countdown for a civil war.”
• Tuberville also went on to describe the Democrats’ tactics to get elected as “lying, stealing, cheating,” adding, “They want a dictatorship – that’s what they want.”

4. Illegal immigrants are being returned

• Flights have been going from Tucson, Arizona, to Guadalajara, Mexico, to return illegal immigrants that have all been deemed deportable. According to the Department of Homeland Security, this is meant to deter illegal immigrants from returning.
• It’s expected that 250 migrants will be flown to Mexico per week starting at the end of January. DHS spokeswoman Heather Swift said, “This is just another example of the Trump Administration working with the Government of Mexico to address the ongoing border security crisis.” She added that working with Mexico “has allowed us to provide court dates to more than 55,000 individuals.”

3. Grocery tax removal faces big hurdles

• Every Alabama legislative session, some legislator decides they are going to attempt to remove the sales tax on groceries in the state. Every time, the hangup seems to be how the revenue, up to $400 million a year, that will be lost will end up being replaced.
• State Rep. Steve Clouse (R-Ozark), the chairman of the House Ways and Means General Fund Budget Committee, highlighted this and pointed out that this will be revenue that would be lost that is directed to the education budget; he doesn’t believe increases to property taxes and income taxes will be very popular among legislators or voters.

2. The Senate is ready for impeachment, new info released

• As Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) gets ready to go through “some preliminary steps” to get ready for impeachment, the House Democrats released new documents setting off a media frenzy about the behavior of Rudy Giuliani and his “associates” in Ukraine which includes possibly tailing the U.S. Ambassador before she was eventually removed.
• McConnell also warned that while some people might be asking for new testimony to take place in the Senate and the Republicans could call witnesses. He mentioned that the “53 of us have reached an agreement,” referring to Republican members and the votes McConnell has to pass an “organizing resolution” to structure the trial.

1. Two Americas on display Tuesday night

• Six of the leading Democrats took to the debate stage in Iowa to argue about whether U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) thinks a woman can be president, if we should spend $1.5 trillion or $40 trillion on free health care, give free college tuition to millionaires and various other trivial things, but the big story continued to be that former Vice President Joe Biden survived another debate without anyone going after him on anything.
• As this debate was happening, President Donald Trump was standing on stage at a rally in Wisconsin talking about a booming economy, killing terrorists and calling impeachment a “total hoax.”

• After the shooting at Pensacola navy base by Saudi Air Force officer 2^nd Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani that killed three U.S. soldiers, the United States has now expelled 21 Saudi military students from training programs.
• U.S. Attorney General William Barr said that the Saudi students being removed from the training program possessed anti-American or jihadist material, as well as had contact with child pornography.

5. Let Bernie and Warren fight

• An ugly fight has broken out between two of the liberal left’s darlings as Bernie Sanders has been accused of telling his colleague, Elizabeth Warren, that a woman could not win a race for President of the United States.
• Sanders says that this is not what he said. Warren stands by the story, stating, “I thought a woman could win; he disagreed.” Either way, he was merely offering his opinion and there really isn’t anything offensive or wrong about this at all but this is clearly an attempt to make Sanders look like a sexist.

4. Everyone wants their witnesses but not the other side

• We are finally moving towards some form of an impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate and the jockeying over who will get to call witnesses continues with reports indicating that there are not enough votes for immediate dismissal of the articles of impeachment.
• Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is warning his Democratic and Republican colleagues that if they want to have witnesses like John Bolton then he will be calling for votes on witnesses of his own, tweeting, “My colleagues can’t have it both ways. Calling for some, while blocking others. If we are going to give a platform to witnesses the Dems demand, I look forward to forcing votes to call Hunter Biden and many more!”

3. Ivey could be open to refugees

• Over the weekend, Texas drew the ire of the media and their Democrats when Governor Greg Abbott (R) declared that the state would not be taking in more refugees, and now people want to know where the few remaining states stand on the matter, including Alabama.
• Ivey’s spokesperson Gina Maiola told the Associated Press that the Ivey administration has not made a decision on the matter. Alabama joins Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina and Wyoming as states that haven’t made a decision yet.

2. Decatur schools will nail you for vaping

• The Decatur City School District has posted a letter to their website that unveils their new system to discipline students using vaping or e-cigarette products that states students caught will be sent to the Center for Alternatives to Suspension.
• The letter said that the previous method of in-school suspension “did not seem to deter many of our students who elected to engage in this harmful practice” and mentioned that they didn’t want “any of our students negatively impacted by either direct exposure or second-hand exposure to these products.”

1. Democrats gained nothing from impeachment delay

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) claimed that her withholding the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump from the Senate has produced favorable results, but now Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is saying that isn’t true.
• McConnell spoke on the Senate floor and said that the delay has “produced absolutely nothing.” He continued to question her strategy to delay sending the articles and described her effort as a “one-woman blockade.”

• The federal court ruled that the Huntsville City Schools have achieved racial balance through their transportation program, thereby making more progress on the desegregation order put on Huntsville 57 years ago, but that doesn’t mean the federal government is about to back off.
• Huntsville City School Board President Elisa Ferrell said that they “filed the motion and the judge got it back to us in seven days, which was phenomenal.” She added that getting a response in such a short time shows the judge “is paying attention to the progress we’re making here in Huntsville.”

5. Iran will be forced to negotiate

• Due to new sanctions and protests, Iran will be forced to negotiate with the United States, as “Iran is being choked off,” according to National Security adviser Robert O’Brien. He stated, “Iran is going to have no other choice but to come to the table.”
• O’Brien also confirmed that President Donald Trump’s claims that Qasem Soleimani was planning multiple attacks on U.S. embassies is “consistent with the intelligence,” adding that Trump is correct “when he talks about the threats to America that came from Soleimani, and that came from the Quds force, that came from their proxies.”

4. Trump stands with the Iranian people

• After the Iranian government admitted to accidentally shooting down the Ukrainian passenger plane, protests broke out calling for the resignation of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As Iran leaders prepared to deal with protesters, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to issue a warning to their leaders.
• While Democrats seem unwilling to take a side, Trump said, “DO NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS. Thousands have already been killed or imprisoned by you, and the World is watching … the USA is watching. Turn your internet back on and let reporters roam free! Stop the killing of your great Iranian people!”

3. Doug Jones really wants to guarantee he isn’t Schumer’s guy

• While interviewing with Fox News, U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) spoke about President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate, saying that he’s “not trying to please Chuck Schumer.”
• Jones was responding to whether he could please the voters in Alabama and Schumer. He went on to say that his “job is to do my impartial justice as a senator.” Jones also noted his past as a lawyer “in a court room looking at evidence and where things out to be and how the puzzle ought to come together.”

2. Three dead, 24,000 households without power after storms

• On Saturday, severe weather rolled through Alabama, and the heavy wind, rain and a couple tornadoes have caused 24,000 homes to be without power. Crews from Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana, Kentucky and North Carolina are helping restore power.
• There were also three people in Alabama who were killed during the storms: Tyrone Spain, 51, Albert Barnett, 85 and Susan Barnett, 75. Governor Kay Ivey said her “thoughts and prayers are with the victims of Saturday’s severe weather.”

1. Pelosi has completely caved and capitulated

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has said that she will talk to other Democrats about sending the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate soon, but she said the delay “has produced a very positive result.”
• Pelosi went on to say they needed “the public to see the need for witnesses.” She even took a shot at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for backing a resolution that would dismiss impeachment if the articles weren’t sent within 25 days. Pelosi accused McConnell of “dismissing” a “cover-up,” later adding that Trump “will be impeached forever.”

Jackson and Burke are joined by Lt. General Jim Link to discuss the ongoing situation in Iran and across the Middle East after the death of Soleimani.

Jackson closes the show with a “parting shot” directed to Governor Kay Ivey to congratulate her on being cancer-free.

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN.

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) still shows little indication that she intends to send the two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate for trial anytime soon, and now U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) is calling for Pelosi to be censured.
• Regardless, Pelosi has tightened her iron grip on Congress’ Democrats. Thursday saw multiple Democrats calling for the articles of impeachment to be transmitted to the House and then fall back in line hours later.

5. Iran shot down a passenger airliner and Trump will be blamed

• On Wednesday, a Ukrainian passenger plane crashed in Iran after taking off from Tehran’s international airport. The Pentagon has confirmed that the plane was accidentally shot down by Iran while they were launching attacks against the United States.
• Somehow, even though Iran committed this act, American politicians, members of the media and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seem to be blaming President Donald Trump for the airliner being shot down.

4. Symbolic bill attempts to rein in Trump’s war powers

• In a vote that means basically nothing, the House of Representatives voted on a non-binding “War Powers Resolution” which attempts to limit President Trump’s military action toward Iran mostly on party lines. Eight Democrats voted against the measure while three Republicans voted for the measure.

• The resolution asks that the president consults with Congress “in every possible instance” before introducing the United States Armed Forces into hostilities with Iran, which legally under Article 2 he can do with broad latitude.

3. Gender act for student sports coming to Alabama

• The “Gender is Real Legislative Act” by State Representative Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) will be pre-filed, as Pringle announced the bill on Thursday. It would require that student-athletes only compete as their birth gender.
• Pringle said that the bill “seeks to support female student-athletes, so that they may compete against each other and not have to compete against male students with an unfair advantage.” The bill also bans any single-gender competition that could be provided for a transgender athlete.

2. Marshall opposes medical marijuana

• This week, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall sent a letter to legislators that explained the reasons why he doesn’t support the proposal that would legalize medical marijuana.
• Marshall stated his main concern as being that there will be another crisis started “while we fight in court for funding to remediate the opioid crisis.”

1. Impeachment trial could be next week

• During the GOP senator’s weekly lunch meeting, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that he anticipates House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will finally send the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump next week.
• Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has also introduced a resolution that’s meant to compel Pelosi to send the articles. Graham said, “It is our job as senators to dispose of the articles that were lawfully passed. The speaker’s attempt to shape or delay the trial is unprecedented. It cannot stand.”

• Alabama State Senator Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa) has introduced a bill that if passed would require public schools to play “The Star-Spangled Banner” once a week minimum and at school sporting events.
• While the anthem is already played at sporting events, Allen said that he wants to ensure all students hear the national anthem on a regular basis even if they don’t attend events “to try to reestablish that deep, deep tradition for the love of country and instill that in our children.”

5. Byrne says he will be in the runoff

• Before U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) went back to Washington, D.C., he spoke to reporters at the Huntsville International Airport and said that while at an event in Guntersville that former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also attended, there were “a lot more lapel stickers for Bradley Byrne than for Jeff Sessions.”
• While former Auburn Football coach Tommy Tuberville and Sessions have been leading in the polls, Byrne said that polls are “sort of like inside baseball-type talk,” and he never talks to voters about polls and they don’t talk to him about polls. Byrne added that he thinks there will be a runoff and he’ll “be one of them.”

4. House will vote on Trump’s military power, Senate will not

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has said that the House will vote Thursday on how much authority President Donald Trump will have when taking military action against Iran, stating that there was a concern with his “decision to engage in hostilities against Iran and about its lack of strategy moving forward.”
• While some Senate Republicans have raised issues with how the president moved forward with Iran, and some want to rein in presidential power, it seems unlikely that this will pass the Senate.

3. Good news for Governor Ivey 

• Since September, Governor Kay Ivey has undergone treatments for “a tiny, isolated malignancy” in her lung, and now Ivey has announced that her doctors have given her the all-clear.
• Ivey’s doctor, Dr. Alex Whitley of Central Alabama Radiation Oncology, stated that while Ivey will continue to go through routine screening for lung cancer, he believes “Governor Ivey to be cured.”

2. Democrats are tired of Speaker Pelosi’s games

• Due to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) continuing to delay sending articles of impeachment to the Senate so that there can be a trial held, some Democrats are starting to get impatient with how Pelosi is dragging her feet.
• U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes (D-CT) said that when she voted to impeach President Donald Trump in the House it was because of Trump’s conduct, and now she’d “like to see them go forward.” Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Coons (D-DE) have said that it’s time to send the articles and get on with the trail.

1. President Trump gives Iran a chance

• While flanked by military leadership, President Donald Trump made it clear to the world and the Islamic Republic of Iran that the United States would not be responding militarily to the weak attacks Iran launched. Trump warned, “By removing Soleimani, we have sent a powerful message to terrorists: If you value your own life, you will not threaten the lives of our people”
• U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) reacted to President Trump’s national statement he made on Wednesday about the situation with Iran, expressing, “Trump was very presidential and showed leadership and purpose.”

• Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has only been in the 2020 Democratic presidential race for about six weeks, but he’s now spent $166 million on television ads for his campaign. $36 million worth of those ads aired within the first week of 2020.
• Within the first six weeks of his campaign, Bloomberg has hired 800 staffers, he’s been endorsed by Judge Judy and he’s currently polling around 5.6%.

5. Tua to enter the draft

• Tua Tagovailoa has announced that he will be entering the NFL Draft in April and not returning for another season with the University of Alabama’s football team.
• Tua said that while Alabama is “the greatest school” in the country and it was a difficult decision, it took “lots of prayers, thoughts and guidance” before he made his decision to enter the 2020 draft.

4. Bolton unlikely to testify in impeachment trial

• Former national security adviser to President Donald Trump John Bolton has announced through a written statement that “if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify,” but it still seems unlikely that he will be called to do so.
• Previously, Bolton said he would only testify before Congress if he was ordered to by a judge. U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) has responded to the news by tweeting, “Bolton is an important witness to misconduct involving Ukraine that he called a ‘drug deal.’ Bolton refused to testify in the House, following Trump’s orders. Now he is willing to come forward. The Senate must allow testimony from him, Mulvaney and others. The coverup must end.”

3. “The Squad” make pretty good targets for Alabama politicians

• In his newest television ad for his 2020 U.S. Senate candidacy, U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) is taking issue with the “Socialist Squad,” U.S. Rep. lhan Omar (D-MN) and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
• Also taking a shot at Omar is candidate for Congress Jessica Taylor, who said Omar was “un-American,” adding, “For her to say that when we had just taken out one of the worst terrorists … for her to say we should not have done that is just astonishing to me.”

2. Grocery tax could make an exit

• State Senator Clyde Chambliss (R-Prattville) has said that he’s going to push for Alabama to do away with the grocery tax of 4%. Alabama, South Dakota, and Mississippi are the only states that still have a grocery tax.
• Chambliss said that doing away with the tax would especially help “those who are on the lower end of the wage-earners” because groceries and food are a large portion of their spending, but he already sees the biggest issue with removing the tax would be how to pay for removal.

1. GOP moving to dismiss due to Pelosi’s delay

• If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) doesn’t send articles of impeachment to the Senate for the impeachment trial, Republican senators are already preparing a resolution that would allow them to dismiss the articles of impeachment for lack of prosecution.
• U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) said on the Senate floor, “In the real world, when a prosecutor brings a case but refuses to try it, the court has the ability and the defendant has the right” to have the “charges dismissed.” Hawley also brought up how Pelosi for so long argued that President Donald Trump “was an urgent threat to democracy.”

• Forbes has released a list of the world’s best winter 2020 travel destinations, and Birmingham, Alabama was one of the nine cities picked.
• Forbes said that Birmingham has produced “an amazing food scene, where high-end culinary chops meet down-home flavors.” Some of the other cities that were chosen were Rome, San Diego, Chicago, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Cartagena, San Antonio and Toronto.

5. Attack on U.S. military base in Kenya

• Three Americans have been killed during an al-Shabab, an al-Qaida linked group, attack on Manda Bay Airfield in Kenya; the five people who attacked the base were killed during the attack.
• One U.S. serviceman and two U.S. Department of Defense contractors killed, but al-Shabab originally claimed that there were 17 Americans dead and nine Kenyan soldiers killed.

4. Iraq parliament has voted to ask troops to leave

• While on Sunday morning news shows, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the United States’ strategy after the strike that killed Qasem Soleimani. Pompeo also dismissed the Iraqi caretaker prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s request for a timetable for all foreign troops to leave Iraq.
• Trump already dismissed this and is deploying more troops. Pompeo said that Mahdi is “the resigned prime minister” and “the acting prime minister,” but Pompeo also stated that they “are confident that the Iraqi people want the United States to continue to be there to fight the counterterror campaign.” He added, “And we’ll continue to do all the things we need to do to keep America safe.”

3. Graham is prepared to act if Pelosi doesn’t send articles

• The two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump are expected to be sent to the U.S. Senate this week, but if the articles don’t make it there, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is prepared to push to change rules.
• Graham intends to seek that the chamber change the impeachment rules so that the Senate would be allowed to proceed with the impeachment trial without having the articles. Graham said that his “goal is to start the trail in the next coming days, not let [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi take over the Senate.”

2. Byrne is questioning Omar’s loyalty

• After U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) reacted to the killing of Qasem Soleimani by saying that she was “outraged” and saying that she would “step in and stop him” from starting a war, while overlooking that Soleimani was labeled a terrorist and instead saying he was an assassinated “foreign official,” and now U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) is drawing attention to her comments.
• Byrne said that “Omar diminished 9/11, opposes Israel, and now she is upset that President Trump took out a murderous terrorist – at this point we have to wonder what side is she on?” He also added that she might wish “Obama were still here to bow before the Ayatollah.”

1. Trump promises a ‘disproportionate’ response

• On Sunday afternoon, President Donald Trump warned that “should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner.”
• Trump has also said that there have been 52 Iranian sites identified that could be “HIT VERY FAST AND HARD” if Tehran were to attack any U.S. assets or Americans.

Jackson and Burke are joined by Yellowhammer News editor in chief Sean Ross to discuss what went down in Alabama politics 2019 and what to look forward to in 2020.

Jackson closes the show with a “parting shot” directed at members of the media who appear to be blaming the Jewish community for anti-Semitic attacks.

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN.

• In the fourth quarter of 2019, President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign raised $46 million, which was a good bit more than the top earner out of the Democratic presidential candidates, with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) raising $34.5 million.
• South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg brought in $24.7 million in the fourth quarter, which was just above former Vice President Joe Biden, who raised $22.7 million. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang raised $16.5 million.

5. War on smokers continues

• The Trump administration has finally announced plans to ban sales of flavored e-cigarette cartridges, except for menthol and tobacco flavors. Those who want more done are not pleased at all because it doesn’t go far enough.
• In 21 states, U-Haul has announced that they’ll no longer hire people who use nicotine products; Alabama is included in those 21 states.

4. Congressional candidate touts a strong stance against illegal immigration

• Jeff Coleman, a businessman and Republican congressional candidate in the District 2 race, has released a new campaign ad to air on television where he clearly states his stance on illegal immigration.
• In the ad, he says that part of the reason for his campaign is to “help President Trump end illegal immigration and finally built that wall.” He then goes on to say that illegal immigrants who have committed other crimes, such as human trafficking, terrorism and drug dealing, need to be deported, adding, “How can we get ‘em all back across the border? Well, I’m in the moving business.”

3. A judge is about to decide if Merrill is allowed to block people on Twitter

• A federal judge is set to decide if Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill has violated people’s free speech rights by blocking them on Twitter, which is an absurd thing for a judge to be deciding.
• The lawsuit was filed in 2018 and in December 2019, lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote in a court filing that if letting public officials “block individuals from their public social media accounts if they post replies which the public officials find ‘annoying’ or ‘harassing’ would run afoul of the very liberties protected by the First Amendment.”

2. Alabama lawmakers ready to take on Roe v. Wade

• All six of Alabama’s six Republican members of the House of Representatives have requested that the Supreme Court look to overturn Roe v. Wade and another abortion case that has stood for decades and guaranteed the “right” to an abortion.
• The Supreme Court will take up a Louisiana law that requires an abortion provider to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. This will be the first major abortion case to come in front of the Supreme Court since President Donald Trump appointed two conservative justices to the court.

1. Terrorists dead in U.S.-controlled Iraq

• It was confirmed via Iraqi state TV that Iran’s most revered military leader, Qassem Soleimani, was killed by an American airstrike. Hezbollah commander Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes was also killed.
• This blow to Iran comes after increased tensions over an attempted raid on the U.S. Embassy and after Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei taunted President Donald Trump, telling him, “You can’t do anything.” He was wrong.

• With the Senate trial on impeachment likely starting soon, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani has said that he will be willing to testify during the trial.
• Trump was impeached by the House on two articles, obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. The first Senate trial hearing is expected as early as January.

5. There will be no high-speed rail in Huntsville

• As Mobile delays an Amtrak decision, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said that in the long-term look at Huntsville’s future, we could see the development of a “magnetic train system” in North Alabama.
• This unlikely project is at least two decades away from actually happening, but Battle also said he wants to bring High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes and more biking and pedestrian lanes in the future.

4. Obama and Trump are both most admired

• Gallup has released its list of most admired men and tying for the top spot are President Donald Trump and President Barack Obama.
• This is the first year that Trump has had the top spot on the list, but the 12th year for Obama. Others who made the list this year were former President Jimmy Carter, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Pope Francis, Bill Gates and others.

3. The cancel mob fails to take out two Mobile cops

• Two Mobile police officers have gone viral in a picture where they’re posing next to panhandler signs taped together with the caption that reads, “Wanna wish everybody in the 4th precinct a Merry Christmas, especially our captain. Hope you enjoy our homeless quilt! Sincerely, Panhandler patrol.”
• James Barber, who oversees the police and fire departments, spoke about the picture, stating that the officers in the picture, Officers Preston McGraw and Alexandre Oliver, showed “bad judgment,” but they’re still “good officers.” Barber doesn’t want this viral post to “overshadow the incredible work that Mobile police do every day.”

2. Jones is still pretending he is undecided on impeachment

• In a piece of lame theater, U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) published an op-ed piece in The Washington Post where he pretended he wasn’t sure about the upcoming Senate trial on removing President Donald Trump from office, to which he said the “decision will have enormous consequences, not just for President Trump, but for future presidencies and Congress, and our national security.”
• He went on to say that the “Senate must conduct a full, fair and complete trial,” but his “fear” is “that we are headed toward a trail that is not intended to find the whole truth.” He went on to blame Trump for why “the whole truth” wasn’t brought out in the House impeachment inquiry.

1. It’s not Benghazi

• After American airstrikes killed 25 militants in Iraq and Syria, a mob of Iranian-backed rioters, the media referred to them as “mourners” or “protesters,” assaulted the embassy leading to the deployment of 100 Marines. An additional 750 troops were deployed to meet rising tensions.
• The response from the media and their Democrats was painfully predictable, with references and cheerleading for a Benghazi-style failure that saw an embassy fall and four dead Americans. This was made even more absurd by the continued protestations that 2012 even was handled competently.

• Gotcha, based in Charleston, South Carolina, will send 200 electric scooters to downtown Mobile, Alabama, at the beginning of 2020, despite being rejected in Huntsville, experiencing issues in cities like Nashville and cities like New York City choosing to not allow the scooters.
• The scooters will only be available for use between 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. to limit safety concerns downtown, mainly due to the nightlife scene of bars and clubs.

5. Five airstrikes in Iraq and Syria

• The Pentagon has said that the facilities that the United States conducted airstrikes against in Iraq and Syria had ties to an Iranian-backed militia that is responsible for attacks made against a U.S.-Iraq military housing facility.
• Spokesman for the Pentagon, Jonathan Hoffman, said that these attacks were “prevision defensive strikes,” adding they will help to deter the group’s ability to attack in the future.

4. Bloomberg is coming to Montgomery

• 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will bring his campaign to Montgomery Monday.
• Bloomberg will meet with Mayor Steven Reed and mental health providers and experts. They’re planning to discuss the high infant mortality rate in Alabama.

3. Shot police officer is walking and talking with “God’s almighty power”

• It appears an amazing recovery is underway for Ozark Police Department Officer Samuel Yoh, who was shot six times in the line of duty, including three times in the head, on December 12.
• Reportedly, Officer Yoh recovery has been a “miracle” with Yoh having full movement in his limbs, the ability to stand, sit, walk short distances, open both eyes and feed himself. Yoh can even recognize his friends and family while reading and speaking fluently.

2. Abortion was the biggest story in Alabama this year

• While national political news seems to have been dominated by the Trump/Russia hoax and President Donald Trump being impeached, Alabama also had the national spotlight when the state’s abortion ban passed.
• The purpose of the abortion ban was always to challenge the U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, but it drew attention for making performing an abortion a felony and offered no exceptions for an abortion in the event of rape or incest, but misreporting on this matter is probably the biggest media failure in the state as well.

1. Religious violence hits America in two attacks

• In Greenwood Lake, New York, Grafton E. Thomas entered a rabbi’s house and then proceeded to stab five people while they were gathered to celebrate Hanukkah. Police have Thomas in custody, and he’s set to face five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary.
• At the West Freeway Church of Christ in Texas, a gunman opened fire during the Sunday morning communion, leaving two churchgoers dead. The shooter was shot and killed by two parishioners in the church.

Jackson and Handback are joined by Alabama State Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) to talk about medical marijuana, prison reform and his run for Alabama’s Supreme Court.

Jackson closes the show with a “parting shot” directed at the people who think 2020 will be “better” than 2019.

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN.

• In Jefferson County, a judge is considering granting death row inmate Toforest Johnson, who in 1998 was convicted of killing Jefferson County Deputy William Hardy three years prior, a new trial due to a claim that a key witness only testified because the state was offering a reward.
• The key witness was Violet Ellison, who said that she listened in on a three-way phone call with Johnson, who on the phone call confessed to killing Deputy Hardy. Ellison then went on to receive $5,000 for her testimony, but the issue is that Johnson has claimed that the prosecutors never informed the defense that Ellison was a paid witness.

5. Buttigieg is using Jesus to call for more refugees

• On Christmas Day, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg went on Twitter to wish everyone a “Merry Christmas,” but first, he said, “Today I join millions around the world in celebrating the arrival of divinity on earth, who came into this world not in riches but in poverty, not as a citizen but as a refugee.”
• Even though there is no refugee story in the virgin birth, a popular liberal talking point, Buttigieg’s 2020 Democratic presidential campaign has very recently released Buttigieg’s plan to increase refugees admitted into the country, setting the minimum at 95,000.

4. Gardendale taxpayers pounded for trying to leave Jefferson County Schools

• The City of Gardendale attempted to start its own school district because the citizens were tired of being forced into the Jefferson system. A federal judge said they and their kids were trapped, and now they have to pay extra for the privilege.
• The NAACP Legal Defense Fund and former federal judge U.W. Clemon get the money because U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Haikala said the parents “acted in bad faith” because of posts on Facebook that were used as justification to stop the school system from being created, speaking of bad faith.

3. Police in Alabama are being killed with stolen guns

• The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said that out of the six police officers killed in Alabama in 2019, five of them were killed with stolen guns.
• This is the highest number of officers shot and killed on duty since 1987; nationally there were 128 officers killed while on duty, and Texas, California and New York are the only states who had higher numbers than Alabama.

2. Trump continues to tweet about impeachment

• Since the House has passed two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has delayed sending the articles to the Senate, tensions have risen between the president and Pelosi.
• Trump tweeted, “Crazy Nancy should clean up her filthy dirty District and help the homeless there. A primary for N?” Trump has also said that the Democrats are “liars” and “hypocrites” for their handling of impeachment by deeming him a national security threat and then delaying the impeachment process.

1. Gary Palmer blasts Speaker Pelosi, says she isn’t interested in a fair process

• U.S. Representative Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) spoke about the impeachment process and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) keeping articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump from moving to the Senate and he thinks this is far from over.
• Palmer repeated Pelosi’s claim that she won’t send the articles of impeachment “until she is sure that there will be a fair process,” but Palmer said that this is just a way of saying she wants “a rigged process.” Palmer also noted how there were things that happened during the House impeachment process that “rigged” the process, such as “witnesses that they declared classified so that you and I and the rest of the country could see that, couldn’t hear what they were saying.”

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared there is a high level of flu-like illness in Alabama and 28 other states.
• It is not too late to get vaccinated, and you might want to because the CDC says there have been roughly 3.7 million flu illnesses, leading to 32,000 hospitalizations and 1,800 deaths in the ongoing 2019-2020 flu season.

5. Durbin doesn’t want people deciding how they’ll vote before impeachment comes to the Senate

• Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) has expressed that he’s unhappy with Sheffield, Alabama native Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) already voicing that they’re against impeachment before the trial has begun.
• Durbin did also say that Democratic senators shouldn’t be for impeachment before the articles have come to the Senate. Durbin added that “when it comes to saying I’ve made up my mind, it’s all over, for goodness sakes, that is not what the Constitution envisioned.”

4. Pelosi will yield

• Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff Marc Short has said that he believes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) “will yield, there’s no way she can hold this position.” Short also said that “her position is really untenable.”
• Pelosi has hesitated to send the two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate as she waits for the Senate to set their process, and now Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is also pushing to add witnesses, to which Short questioned why there needs to be added witnesses when they have claimed the case is “so airtight.”

3. Medical marijuana bill coming to Alabama legislature

• Twelve out of 18 commissioners on the Alabama Medical Cannabis Study Commission have voted to recommend a bill that would legalize medical marijuana in Alabama.
• Chairman State Senator Tim Melson (R-Florence) said the vote shows “that two-thirds thought the legislation was reasonable and well thought-out.” Melson plans to introduce the legislation after the legislative session begins on February 4, 2020.

2. Jones is probably going to vote to remove Trump from office

• U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) is attempting to rationalize how voting to remove President Donald Trump from office won’t cost him his reelection bid while appearing on ABC’s “The Week,” which is hosted by the totally impartial former President Bill Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos.
• Jones said that this impeachment “is a much more serious matter” than the “political consequences,” adding this has more to do with “how we want our presidents to conduct themselves.” He explained, “It has to do with the future of the Senate and how the Senate should handle impeachment and articles of impeachment that come over.”

1. Doug Jones won’t be reelected

• John Couvillon of Louisiana’s JMC Analytics has released independent polling information which showed a near-majority (and a large plurality) of voters don’t support U.S. Senator Doug Jones’ (D-AL) reelection campaign.
• Only 34% of the voters who responded support Jones, but 48% oppose and 18% are undecided. When matched up against former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville and U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope), Jones was close but still loses to all of the top three candidates.

Jackson and Burke are joined by former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to discuss impeachment, his time in the Trump administration and his 2020 U.S. Senate campaign.

Jackson closes the show with a “parting shot” directed at the people pretending they aren’t thrilled to be impeaching the president; Jackson believes they should just own it.

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN.

• The group put together to research medical marijuana, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Study Commission, is voting this week on whether to move forward by suggesting a bill to legalize medical marijuana.
• The group’s decision could impact how legislators discuss the issue in 2020, but if the Alabama legislature did legalize medical marijuana, it would make it the 34th state to do so.

5. Mobile harbor to see improvements

• U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) has helped to secure funding to deepen and widen the Port of Mobile.
• The funding will be provided through the Energy and Water Development Bill in the Fiscal Year 2020 spending and will include a dredging program focused in the Central Gulf Coast.

4. Legislation could prevent cop killers from sitting in jail for years

• Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth is working on new legislation that could lessen the time people convicted of killing police officers spend on death row.
• In his tweet that announced his work, Ainsworth said, “Murdering an officer who maintains law and order should quickly cost your own life.”

3. Government shutdown avoided

• The $1.4 trillion spending package has been approved by the Senate so the government will be funded through the rest of the fiscal year.
• The spending package is divided into two bills. The first one for domestic programs passed 71 to 23, and the second passed 81 to 11.

2. Democrats’ recession probably won’t happen

• As the media and their Democrats attempted to push the economy into a recession, and as they are trying to convince Americans that the economy is not working, the American people are making it clear once again that they just don’t trust them.
• A new CNN poll shows that American feel better about the American economy than they have in about 20 years with 76% rating economic conditions in the United States as very/somewhat good and 68% think the economy will be good a year from now.

1. Democrats get scared, McConnell doesn’t care

• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) took to the floor of the United States Senate to declare he is at an “impasse” with House Democrats, led by Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who passed impeachment but seems unwilling or scared to move forward with it because Democrats want “to break from the unanimous bipartisan precedent and force an all our nothing approach.”
• U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) responded by calling this impeachment a “sham,” adding Democrats “got cold feet on their side.” He also pointed out how the Democrats have insisted “that the republic was at stake,” but now the Democrats have decided to delay until the Senate decides to hold the trail the way they want.